CPS Charge 4 Police Officers with Assault

In a move that may bring hope to the Tomlinson family the Crown Prosecution Service has charged four police officers with assault over the December 2003 arrest of Mr. Babar Ahmad, an IT support analyst, in Tooting, South West London.

It is particularly shocking, however, that it took seven years from the date of the assault for the CPS to make this decision, though it did involve at least one reversal of a previous decision not to prosecute. Also the police officers remained on active duty throughout.

How is it right to have for either Mr. Ahmad or the police officers accused that this process took so long to be resolved? It doesn’t seem fair on either the alleged victim or the accused and demonstrates the problems at the heart of our justice system.

It also speaks to how long the problems with the Metropolitan Police’s Territorial Support Group, the same group from which the officer that assaulted Ian Tomlinson came from, maybe it is time that the Met abolish this group.